Cist Sites and Prehistoric Monuments for Viewshed Analysis in Glengorm, Mull

A study from the 1980s and 1990s examined prehistoric ritual monument locations and their visibility across the Glengorm area of the Isle of Mull, Scotland. The University of Edinburgh conducted this research, which applied GIS for viewshed analysis. Datasets incorporated into the study included soils, coastlines, drainage capacity, land capability, rivers, elevation, slope, and distribution patterns of cairn, cist, duns, fort, and stone sites.

Use Cases

• Conducting viewshed analysis based on elevation and slope data mentioned in the description
• Analyzing spatial relationships between cist sites and environmental features like soils and drainage capacity
• Modeling prehistoric monument distribution patterns across the landscape
• Studying the intervisibility of ritual sites like cairns, duns, and forts

Strengths

• Part of a dedicated archaeological study conducted over two decades (1980s and 1990s)
• Integrated multiple spatial datasets including soils, hydrology, elevation, and monument types for analysis

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific study area and period

Provenance

Source

University of Edinburgh

Collection Method

Part of an archaeological study applying GIS for viewshed analysis.

Time Range

Study conducted in the 1980s and 1990s.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:33:13.171473; freshness should be verified

Geography

Glengorm area on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.